Track of the Day: Love Crumbs – Vacant Dream (2023)
Known for insightful, reflective and heart-breaking tunes, US-based trio Love Crumbs draw together elements of indie-pop and folk-rock in smile-inducing melodies. While the songs do have a certain charm to them, they tend to be poignant and profound giving you something to ponder while singing along. With only three singles under their belt (at least, according to Spotify), Love Crumbs are still young when it comes to streaming sites. Yet, their songs have turned the heads of numerous international blogs and been placed on various Spotify Editorial Playlists.
After focusing on performances which saw Love Crumbs share the bill with the likes of Father John Misty, Lori McKenna, and Suzanne Vega, the female-fronted release ‘Vacant Dream’. The first single since their well-received track ‘Ellipses’ in 2021, ‘Vacant Dream’ is a heartfelt collaboration with musician Cloudbelly.
As I mentioned, Love Crumbs is known for its profound and thought-provoking content. In ‘Ellipses’ they exposed human fragility, and this is once again taken up in ‘Vacant Dream’. Laying bare the delicate vulnerability experienced when a person loves an addict, the new single oozes a painful sentimentality. Love Crumbs’ Michael Dubuque explains that “this song is about my brother, about loving and grieving the loss of my relationship with my brother while he struggles with his drug addiction…” Yet, while the turmoil and suffering can be heard in ‘Vacant Dream’, there is a cathartic quality to the track. Dubuque further shares that “…it was a purging of sorts of this pain that was so deep that I have, myself, despaired of life…”
One aspect of ‘Vacant Dreams’ that truly touches my heart is how the melody so elegantly encapsulates the emotions of the singer. The female vocals tenderly flow along an acoustic guitar to capture your heart from the get-go. A leaning toward Joni Mitchell and Carole King can be heard taking us back to old-school folk; however, the incorporation of horns behind the guitar adds uniqueness to ‘Vacant Dreams’. While the guitar and drums carry audiences along a heartfelt sonic river, it is the interspersed strings and piano that bring a last surge of hopefulness in a tragic tale.
For more from Love Crumbs, check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
